Christian Coleman: I’ve never failed a drug test and never will
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ByEurosport
Updated 12/09/2019 at 09:12 GMT
Christian Coleman insists he has "never failed a drug test and never will" after the American sprinter saw charges dropped for missing three tests.
Christian Coleman of the USA finishes 2nd in the 200m Men sprint of IAAF Golden Spike 2019 Athletics meeting in Ostrava on June 20, 2019.
Image credit: Getty Images
The 23-year-old was facing an automatic one-year ban, but the charge was withdrawn by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) following guidance from World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
And Coleman, who ran a world-leading 9.81 seconds in the 100m in California in the summer, took to Instagram to defend himself.
"I put my heart and soul into track and field, and worked hard to get where I am today," Coleman wrote on Instagram.
It's simply disrespectful when fake fans speculate and talk about drugs in relation to the great athletes we have in this sport.
"It does nothing but hold the sport back from the popularity I know it can reach in the future.
"I shouldn't have to defend myself but for the first and last time I literally do not take any supplements or protein powders - nothing even legal to help with recovery."
Coleman is set to compete at the World Athletics Championships in Doha later this month as he steps up his preparation for Tokyo 2020.
Those preparations almost took a hit when USADA claimed Coleman missed three tests – on June 6, 2018, and January 16, April 26 this year.
However, anti-doping rules state the first missed test should be pushed back to the first day of a testing quarter – April 1, 2018, in this instance - meaning the three tests did not fall within a 12-month period.
"I work hard at practice, drink water, rest, and work even harder the next day," added Coleman.
Therefore, I have never failed a drug test and never will. I'm the biggest advocate for clean sport because I know the sacrifice and what it takes to make it to this level.
"There have been a lot of inaccurate things said in the media over the past few weeks; it's a shame we live in a world where [story] clicks equals money, yet people still believe everything they read.
"Huge thank you to all my supporters. Can't wait for World Champs. See y'all in Doha."
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